Bessie Lee (Kendle) Black

Mrs. Bessie Lee Black was born March 4, 1947, amidst the blossoms of Winona, Mississippi, she was the firstborn of the seven children of George W. Kendle Jr.  and Willie Lee (nee Collins) Kendle, whose lineage she did honor throughout her days.

Bessie’s light first shone upon Michigan City, Indiana, in the year 1971, where she would come to share in the bond of holy matrimony with Clarence Black Sr., on the tenth of August in the year 1979.Their hearts, entwined for a span of forty-three years, did cease in unity with the passing of Clarence on the first of July, 2023. Yet, in the time they were granted, their love did flourish, bringing forth a blended family. 

Our beloved Bessie, a woman of wisdom and unyielding faith, did raise her offspring with a bounty of love and a penchant for truth, ever bold in speech and rich in kindness. Her life, a testament to sacrifice, saw her forsake a full scholarship to college, that she might aid her dearest mother in the nurturing of her siblings. In later years, she did pursue her scholarly ambitions and was awarded an Associate Degree in Business Management, a laurel of her perseverance and intellect.

For a quarter of a century, Mrs. Black did serve with distinction in the employ of JCPenney, in the field of Human Resources, until the year of her retirement in 2008.

Her diligence and wisdom were matched only by her devotion to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witness, where she stood as a faithful and active member, her soul ever in communion with the Divine.

Bessie, a woman of Christian faith, now lies in peaceful repose in Michigan City, Indiana, having slipped away quietly in her sleep, March 12, 2026, at her home, as if embraced by the stillness of a dream.  Mrs. Bessie Lee Black, a matriarch of noble heart and steadfast spirit. She joins in the realm beyond her departed parents and brothers, William Kendle and Lorenzo Earl Kendle, and her dog.

She is mourned by her beloved children, Netra Kendle, Sheila (Ricky) Hervey, Rodney (Veronica) Smoote, Rolando Smoote, Orlando Smoote, and stepchildren Angel Bean, Nadine Black, Clarence Black, Jr.; five sisters, Mae Carol (Curtis) Smalls, Margaret Bethea, Clara Jean (Cleve) Kendle, Glenda Kendle, Willie Mae Burnside;  graced with the joy of nineteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren, all of whom were cherished as the stars are by the night. Best friend since 1972 Linda (Dennis) Boney. Special friends, Arthur and Joann Ford, Millie Hicks, Chuck and Dolly Vinson, Bonnie and Shirley Erby and a host of loving, and caring friends from the Kingdom Hall.

Bessie walked this world with the wisdom of the ages and the courage of a lioness, her memory etched into the annals of time. Rest, noble soul, in the cradle of eternity, your legacy a beacon unto generations

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